There's a new way to get free electricity: here's how to opt in

Free or discounted electricity and rewards such as gift cards will soon be on offer to households when you use extra electricity at times when the National Grid has plenty to spare.

On sunny or windy days – especially when on weekends or bank holidays when industrial usage is at a minimum – there can be more renewable electricity being generated than used.

An updated scheme from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) allows energy companies to offer customers incentives to shift usage to make the most of power when this happens.

It's called the Demand Flexibility Service and will help avoid surplus power being wasted. 

You need to sign up with your energy supplier or a third party operating the scheme to take part.

You'll then be told when an event is running and what rewards you could earn. 

It varies by area and is often quite short notice. 

You can also get cheaper electricity at regular set times with a time-of-use tariff. Find out if a time-of-use tariff is right for you.

How does the Demand Flexibility Service work?

In summer months when the weather is warm and days are long, electricity demand is lower but more power is generated from solar panels. That means there can be a surplus of electricity coming into the National Grid.

To make the most of this extra electricity – and reduce the demand for it at key peak times – NESO will pay providers who can encourage their customers to increase electricity demand during pre-identified time periods.

Once you've opted in to take part, you'll get a notification by email or text from your provider telling you that a certain time slot, often the next day, will be part of the scheme. If you use more energy than usual at this time – perhaps by running an energy-intensive appliance such as a dishwasher, washing machine or tumble dryer, you'll get a reward. 

Energy firms can decide how to pass the money they are paid by NESO onto customers. Approaches are likely to vary and include:

• the extra electricity you use is free during these periods
• the electricity you use is cheaper during these periods
• you get points that can be converted into rewards such as gift cards.

The Demand Flexibility Service has been in place for a few years already, but up until now it's only been used in the opposite way when there is pressure on the grid. When spikes in usage mean that demand outstrips supply and the grid needs to generate extra electricity using fossil fuel back-ups, NESO pays energy providers who are able to cut demand. 

If you've opted into the scheme, your energy company will reward you for reducing your electricity usage during these busy time periods.

Which energy suppliers are taking part?

So far, British Gas, Octopus Energy and Scottish Power have signed up to reward customers for using more electricity at specific times.

Equiwatt, an energy-saving app,  is also participating.

Some other energy providers run similar schemes, listed below. Keep an eye out for what is on offer for you. 

We've recently revealed the best energy suppliers for 2026.

How do I take part?

To take part, you'll need to be a customer of an energy supplier that is participating. If yours isn't, NESO expects that 'aggregators and third parties' will take part too so you could join via one of those. When we know who they are, we'll add them to the list below.

You'll need to sign up to your provider's scheme and opt into the specific events. 

You'll usually get a notification telling you when the next event will happen and what you need to do to take part. 

You'll need a smart meter so that your supplier can tell how much power you have used (or saved) during the event.

Read more: what is a smart meter and what to expect from a smart meter installation.

Other ways to use free or cheap electricity

Several energy firms already run schemes to reward customers for using more power when there's an excess, or cut their power use when demand on the national grid is high. 

Some of these follow predictable patterns so you can plan to change your power use to suit. These include:

• British Gas PeakSave gives customers half-price electricity on Sunday afternoons.
• EDF Energy's Sunday Saver challenge lets customers earn up to 16 hours of free electricity on Sundays by shifting their electricity use out of weekday peak hours (4-7pm).
• Ovo's Power Move add-on enters customers into a monthly prize draw if they use 15% or less of their total daily electricity during weekday peak hours (5-7pm).

Others are reactive to specific conditions, so you'll need to be able to change your electricity use at short notice to benefit. For example:

• E.ON Next's PowerUp events set customers a target to increase their electricity use by a particular amount during two-hour periods, usually communicated the day before by email. It pays bill credit for every kWh of electricity used above the target.
• Octopus Energy's Fan Club gives customers who live near its wind turbines 50% off electricity when they're turning.
• Octopus Energy Saving Sessions can be one or two hour Power Down events where customers are rewarded with Octopoints for using less power. Or Power Up hour-long events where electricity used above customers' normal amount is free. 

If you're really committed to altering your energy usage to benefit from cheaper rates, you might be a good candidate for a more formal time-of-use tariff. Similar to the above, these can also follow a set daily (or weekly) pattern for lower and higher-priced times. Or change prices regularly in response to changing wholesale prices.

If you can maximise off-peak energy use and minimise your demand at key peak times, a time-of-use tariff could save you money. 

Find out more about time-of-use tariffs.

If you have solar panels, use as much of the power they generate as possible to reduce the amount of electricity you need to buy from the grid. 

Read our buying advice for solar panels, including tips from solar panel owners on how to make the most of them.

Battery and electric vehicle owners can make the most of time-of-use tariffs to charge while power is cheap and sell it back to the grid at pricier, peak times.

Read more about solar panel battery storage and electric car charging at home.

Is electricity cheaper at night?

Most standard energy tariffs charge the same amount for energy used at any time of day. But if you sign up for a specific time-of-use tariff (or have a legacy E7 or E10 two-rate meter), you'll pay less for the energy you use in off-peak windows of time.

These tariffs charge different prices per kWh of electricity you use depending on when you use it. Typically the lowest prices are overnight.

That's because demand for electricity is at its lowest overnight when the fewest people and businesses are using it.

You're most likely to benefit from this kind of tariff if you have a product with a high electricity demand that is charged overnight, such as a storage battery, storage heaters or an electric car. 

See the cheapest fixed tariffs in our advice on how to get the best energy deal.